Art Collections: Cataloguing

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the cataloguing of art collections in public ownership is satisfactory; and, if not, what steps they intend to take.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The standards in cataloguing of art collections are maintained by the Government through the Museum Accreditation Scheme, which is administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.
	The accreditation standards scheme is open to all publicly funded or charitable museums in the UK. It was set up in 1988 and is administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The accreditation requirements for documenting collections in museums and galleries can be summarised as follows:
	each item must be entered into an accession register which gives the item a unique number and records from whom the item was acquired;
	sufficient information to identify it (in the case of a work of art this would be the artist's name, title of the work, medium and measurements);
	in addition, the accession register number must be marked on the item, there must be a security copy of the register and a record of the item's location.
	If any of the requirements are not in place, the museum must provide a plan with dates for completing the work.
	Some 1,848 UK museums now participate in the accreditation scheme, including all art collections in public ownership. MLA's research in 2001 indicated that the inclusion of documentation requirements in the scheme was an important factor in ensuring that work on improving documentation of collections continued to take place.
	Designation Challenge Fund (DCF)
	This fund, set up in 1999, is available to museums holding designated collections in England. The DCF is financed by DCMS and administered by MLA.
	About 61 museums have designated collections—of these 28 have designated fine or decorative art collections.
	Since 1999 approximately £6 million has been allocated to museums to enable them to improve the documentation of these fine/decorative art collections.
	The Public Catalogue Foundation (PCF) is a charity that is producing a photographic inventory of paintings in public ownership across the country. The MLA is working closely with the PCF and funding is being considered for an IT solution to the current glossy catalogue approach. The MLA and PCF are working jointly to work out how to create a web resource that will be widely accessible, using the latest digitisation technologies.

Azerbaijan: Desecration of Religious Memorials

Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will make representations to UNESCO concerning the destruction and desecration by Azerbaijan of ancient Armenian churches and artefacts.

Lord Triesman: The Government are aware of and concerned by Armenian reports of the destruction and desecration of certain graveyards in Azerbaijan. We deplore the desecration of any religious memorial or gravestone. Such acts, wherever they are committed, bring only dishonour on the perpetrators.
	We understand that the Armenians have already raised this matter with UNESCO. We have no plans to raise this matter ourselves.

Cancer

Lord Ashley of Stoke: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the main environmental factors influencing the incidence of cancer.

Lord Warner: The Department of Health has been advised by the Health Protection Agency that there are many different types of cancer the causes of which are multifactorial rather than there being a single cause for any particular type of cancer, and this should be recognised. It is known that lifestyle factors such as smoking, consumption of alcoholic beverages, physical activity/obesity, and also occupational exposure to certain chemicals in the past, especially asbestos, have a major influence on cancer incidence. It is very difficult to estimate the burden due to environmental factors but the available data are summarised as follows.
	Exposure to ionizing radiation is known to produce leukaemia and other cancers, although there is little direct data available on the burden of disease from this cause. Exposure to radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, is a cause of lung cancer and there is a markedly increased risk in smokers. It has been estimated that about 2 per cent. of cancer deaths in Europe may be due to radon. Exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight increases the risk of skin cancer.
	There is little convincing evidence to indicate that environmental exposure to chemicals in the United Kingdom causes cancer. However exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (passive smoking) is known to be associated with a 10 to 30 per cent increase in lung cancer.
	Additionally, dietary factors are estimated to account for approximately 30 per cent. of cancers in industrialised countries—making diet only second to tobacco as a preventable cause of cancer. In particular, obesity is associated with an increase in risk of some cancers such as colorectal and breast cancers while increasing the intake of fruit and vegetables and physical activity is associated with decreased risk.

Department of Transport and BAA

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any Minister or official from the Department for Transport has attended a seminar or reception hosted by BAA during the past 12 months.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Over the past 12 months, Ministers and officials in the Department for Transport attended a range of meetings and other engagements with BAA.

Doctors: CueDoc

Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	At what level in the National Health Service's structure information on average call outs per CueDoc doctor per month is held.

Lord Warner: These data are not collected centrally.

EU: Treaty of Nice

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 13 December (WA 148), whether Article 308 of the European Community Treaty limits the European Council's ability to act in furtherance of the objectives of the Community only in the course of the operation of the common market; and, if so, how they justify the use of that article as the sole legal basis for the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

Lord Triesman: The Government agree that Article 308 of the treaty establishing the European Community (TEC) contains a limited power to act but they are satisfied that the proposed regulation fulfils all of the criteria of this treaty provision.
	The importance of fundamental rights in Community law has been accepted for many years. While ensuring respect for fundamental rights is not specifically listed as a Community objective in Articles 2 and 3 of TEC, the European Court of Justice has found that ensuring respect for fundamental rights is a condition for the lawfulness of Community acts and that respect for fundamental rights thus forms an underlying or implied objective of the Community.
	In 1997 Article 308 (then Article 235) was used, in conjunction with Article 284 (then Article 213), as the legal base to establish the Vienna-based EU Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia. As the centre will be converted into the Agency for Fundamental Rights, the use of Article 308 to establish the latter is a consistent approach in terms of legal base.

Hurricane Stan

Lord Strathclyde: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 8 December (WA 118), why no ministerial meetings were held with representatives of El Salvador and Guatemala to discuss assistance with reconstruction and recovery following Hurricane Stan, bearing in mind the estimates that the hurricane inflicted damage equivalent to 3.4 per cent of Guatemala's gross domestic product and 2.25 per cent of that of El Salvador; and whether they will initiate discussions about bilateral assistance to Central American countries in such circumstances.

Baroness Amos: UK assistance to Latin America is predominantly through multilateral rather than bilateral channels. Support for reconstruction will therefore be through the programmes of the European Commission, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank.
	Ministers were kept fully informed about Hurricane Stan and the subsequent relief plans.
	Lord Triesman met with Nineth Montenegro, a Guatemalan Congresswoman, on 12 October and Hurricane Stan was discussed. The British Ambassador in Guatemala was in contact with the Government of Guatemala (GoG) during October 2005 about the GoG's relief and reconstruction plans.

National Criminal Intelligence Service

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many reports have been made to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, in the most recent 12 month period, under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2003.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The number of reports (commonly known as suspicious activity reports) made to the National Criminal Intelligence Service, under the provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2003, over the 12 month period December 2004 to November 2005, is around 192,253. The final figure for the whole of 2005 will be available by the end of January.

National Criminal Intelligence Service

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the current total staff and total annual cost of the National Criminal Intelligence Service; and what is the staff and annual cost of the financial intelligence unit of the service.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The National Criminal Intelligence Service has an establishment of 1,142 posts of which 95 are dedicated to Financial Intelligence Unit responsibilities as defined by bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force and the Egmont Group. The 2005–06 NCIS service plan projected a total payroll cost of £45.7 million, of which £3.4 million is allocated to financial intelligence.

National Insurance Contributions

Lord Skelmersdale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In the last year for which they have figures, how many people in work were paying national insurance contributions at the upper earnings limit.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: Figures for 2001–02 are 2.19 million people with NICs contributions at or above the upper earnings limit.

Kazakhstan: OSCE Election Monitoring

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many United Kingdom parliamentarians participated in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Observer Delegation for the recent presidential election campaign in Kazakhstan; and how many of these parliamentarians have a knowledge of (a) the Russian language and (b) the Kazakh language.

Lord Triesman: Two UK parliamentarians participated in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) election observation mission to the 4 December 2005 presidential elections in Kazakhstan. The right honourable Member for Walsall South (Bruce George) was appointed by the OSCE as short term observer co-ordinator. The honourable Member for Chelmsford West (Simon Burns) was a short term observer. We do not hold a record of their abilities in either Russian or Kazakh. Further details of the OSCE's election monitoring activities can be found at www.osce.org/odihr-elections.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Statement by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 22 November (Official Report, cols. 1577–79), how the figure of 15,000 people benefiting from payments from the financial assistance scheme was estimated.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Based on the limited data we have been able to obtain from affected pension schemes, this is our best estimate of the number of members of eligible schemes likely to be within the next three years of scheme pension age and have less the 80 per cent of their core pension rights covered by their schemes.

Police: Reorganisation

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether the number of (a) Essex police officers, and (b) other staff employed by the Essex constabulary will drop under any of the options for possible police reorganisation announced by the Home Secretary on 10 November.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Options submitted at the end of October that were assessed as suitable for progression in the eastern region did not contain information on the likely number of police officers/staff which would be required in the new strategic forces. Forces and authorities were asked to include this type of information as part of the cost/benefit analysis in their final proposals submitted on 23 December. These proposals are currently being considered carefully to ensure a coherent new national policing landscape and it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage on any proposals received for Essex.

Railways: Radley

Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	With respect to the fatality on the rail line at Radley on the morning of 6 December (a) what were the reasons for the police declaring the site a scene of crime; (b) over what period the line was closed to trains; (c) in what capacity the Railway Accident Investigation Branch was involved; and (d) how many passenger train delay minutes were attributed to this incident.

Lord Davies of Oldham: (a) The British Transport Police (BTP) have informed me that the site was not declared a crime scene by the police at any time during the incident.
	(b) The BTP handed the lines back to Network Rail at 8.50 am on completion of the body recovery process, a total of two hours and 25 minutes after receiving notification of the incident. Network Rail resumed services in both directions at 9.08am.
	(c) Given that the BTP declared the incident as non-suspicious the Rail Accident Investigation Board (RAIB) was not notified of it, as such incidents are out of RAIB's scope.
	(d) 1,702 passenger train delay minutes were attributed to this incident.

Russia

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are discussing the implications of proposed legislation on non-governmental organisations in Russia with the Russian Government; how they assess President Putin's statement that civil society should not suffer in consequence of the proposals; and whether there is a common ground in the European Union on these issues.

Lord Triesman: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given to the honourable Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) on 14 December, by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Europe (Douglas Alexander) (Official Report, col. 2069W).
	As EU presidency, staff at our embassy in Moscow co-ordinated the agreed EU approach to this issue. In addition, staff at our Moscow embassy have met Russian Government officials to discuss the draft legislation.

Secure Training Centres

Baroness Stern: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How they plan to expand the existing commercially-provided secure training centres to provide places for girls aged under 18.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Youth Justice Board has recently agreed the provision of new special units for young women under the age of 18 at the secure training centres at Rainsbrook and Hassockfield. Like the new units in the Prison Service estate, these units will accommodate 17 year-old girls. In addition, there will be a small number of places for mothers under 18 and their babies and for pregnant girls. This is the first time special provision has been made for this group. Capacity will increase by a total of 27 beds. The Rainsbrook unit is scheduled to open in July 2006 and the Hassockfield unit in October 2006.